Symmetry and bifurcations of momentum mappings

Abstract

The zero set of a momentum mapping is shown to have a singularity at each point with symmetry. The zero set is diffeomorphic to the product of a manifold and the zero set of a homogeneous quadratic function. The proof uses the Kuranishi theory of deformations. Among the applications, it is shown that the set of all solutions of the Yang-Mills equations on a Lorentz manifold has a singularity at any solution with symmetry, in the sense of a pure gauge symmetry. Similarly, the set of solutions of Einstein's equations has a singularity at any solution that has spacelike Killing fields, provided the spacetime has a compact Cauchy surface.

This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation. The second author was supported by a Killam Visiting fellowship at the University of Calgary during the completion of the paper